A blog about vast scales of physical phenomena and how we can survey such ranges with artistic and graphic techniques.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Universcale

Nikon commissioned from the Japanese design boutique BA a gorgeous superscale survey application called "Universcale." The flash applet displays about one hundred objects in ways that allow the viewer to compare their size (in meters). Here is an assortment of the illustrations by Y. Yoriko.

The user is greeted with cartoon outlines on a length scale, so that objects can be compared without too many details. A click then exposes a color illustration by Yoriko Yoshida, with text describing the item. Lastly, the detailed illustration may be flanked by a representative object smaller and larger, the two comparative objects shown in outline view. The three views facilitate discovery and comprehension of the different scales of length.

Below, some examples (all are linked to their website). The apple in silhouette, standing in a row where you can see (from left to right) a honey bee, a one cent coin, a cockroach, a 35mm roll of film, a golf ball, a katydid, a mouse, the Apple, a CD, and a soccer ball. When the apple is clicked, a full color illustration with text appears, flanked by "small" on the left--linked to the snow flake--and "big" on the right--linked to the turtle. For a complete list of the objects and further discussion, see the scalometer wiki.